One of the most tantalising smartphone rumours this year has been about Motorola’s reboot of the iconic Razr. And thanks to a recent slew leaked images, we might now have a better idea of what Moto will announce on November 14.
From noted leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) comes what looks like an official promotional image of a new Razr, which does a fantastic job of emulating the original, right down to its chunky chin.
However, if you look close, there’s a couple important differences such as the rectangular indent on the phone’s chin (which is most likely a fingerprint reader), and a new hinge in back that is somewhat reminiscent of what the hinge Samsung created for the Galaxy Fold.
Furthermore, look at the size of the device itself in relation to the hand that is holding it, as it appears the new Razr will be significantly larger and a bit thicker than the original. For anyone who has held a Razr in a while (though why would you?), Moto’s original Razr was actually quite petite, with a length and width that weren’t that much bigger than a credit card.
In case that one pic isn’t enough, Dutch website Mobiel Kopen posted even more leaked pics of the supposed Razr reboot along with a handful of rumoured specs. While earlier rumours claim the new Razr will debut for around $2,200, with Mobiel Kopen reporting that the new Razr will come with Snapdragon 710 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (with an option for 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage), and a 2,730 mAh, we’re not exactly looking at flagship-level specs.
But that may not matter, because this phone is clearly all about its flexible screen, which Mobiel Kopen says measures 6.2-inches across, or just slightly smaller than what you get on a Pixel 4 XL. Additionally, just like the original Razr, this new model also sports an exterior cover screen with a reported resolution of 600 x 800, which is a massive step up from the 96 x 80 (!) screen used on its predecessor.
One more interesting note is that, based on the leaked pics, the Razr reboot seems to have even less space between its folding halves, which suggests Motorola may have a better solution for keeping dust and other particles from inside the phone while it’s folded and damaging its flexible screen.
Regardless, with the Razr having celebrated its 15th birthday earlier this year, 2019 seems like a great time for Moto to update a legend with some new tech and tricks. And even though I initially thought reviving the Razr was a bad idea, I’m really starting to warm up to the idea of using flexible screens to make phones with “normal-sized” that are much more compact than the big glass slabs most people use today.